Happy to have the Blues

During these hot summer days, I’m feverishly working on new designs, and I’m excited to share my latest obsession: blue. I came across these lapis lazuli and Azurite and—given my recent passion for vibrant colors and my lifelong love of the ocean—of course, I had to have them. I am in love with the intensity of the lapis and the eccentricity of the marble effect of the Azurite.

I’ll be using the beads to create a bracelet, and the Azurite to both set in this ring, and to mix with lapis throughout the collection. I can’t wait to bring these jewels to life and will share them here as soon as they are finished.

Lapis is an ancient stone and I’ve heard that, according to mythology, it is associated with healing people who were sad or depressed. Given how happy these stones have made me, I’d have to agree!

Laced Up for Fall

Modern femininity, illustrated by the mix of lace with modern silhouettes, is one of my favorite fashion trends for this Fall. Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier use black lace to show femininity's moody and brooding side. Lily Pulitzer, meanwhile, celebrates femininity's versatility by mixing lace with vibrant colors.

I'm thrilled to be in the company of such designers in celebrating this aesthetic in my new Lace Collection. As a female and a designer, I love this concept because lace is so unique, intricate, delicate, versatile, bold, timeless, and strong... just like the woman who wears it!

Jean Paul Gaultier

Chanel

My bold Lace ring with a  smoky quartz cabochon

Pretty but powerful: my Lace necklace

Bold and sweet: my aquamarine Lace ring

My statement Lace cuff

Everything Happens for a Reason

A sketch of my first design: a silver ring.

It is funny to look back on life and see—in retrospect—how everything connects in order to lead you on your path. Personally, I never would have believed I would become a jewelry designer. And, yet… here I am.

As a child, I loved the arts. My creativity led me to experiment with various arts and crafts, but jewelry was the farthest thing from my mind. Growing up, my mother instilled in me an appreciation for fine jewelry, but with a very conservative taste that I never connected with creativity.

But then: my life path intersected with that of the former CEO of H. Stern, who introduced me to a new world… fine jewelry as art and fashion. I was able to visit the company’s factory, witness the design process, and experience a creative world I never imagined. And, I was hooked.

I signed up for classes at Atelier Rodolfo Penteado and studied jewelry design for several years. I love the memory of my first creation—a silver ring. I gave this special piece to a woman who worked for my parents and was very dear to me. Like her, that ring (pictured here) holds a special place in my heart.

Determined to establish my own collection, I took up sales of other people’s work in order to make money to purchase gold and gemstones. While sales were never my plan, life led me to that for a reason. First: to hone my understanding of business. And, second: to introduce me to special people who would become my clients, muses and champions. I am especially grateful to one woman, Patricia Rittes, who believed in me before anyone else and became my first client (today, both she and her daughter wear my designs!)

Several years later, I moved to New York and started all over (another story for another day and post!) But those early experiences and people have forever shaped my life. They’ve confirmed what I’ve believed since I was a child: Life is not unlike a soap opera… In the end, everything ties together and makes perfect sense. The people you meet may seem random, but they never are. And, sitting here and looking back, I am so grateful to each and every one of them. 

What Happened in Vegas (yes, I'm telling!)

I’m finally catching up after a fantastic Couture show… and what a wonderful week it was! This was my third year exhibiting at Couture and I love it more each time.

I, like most designers, spent the weeks before Couture in a rush of activity that lasted up until the moment the show opened. Then the energy of everyone involved merged to create an amazing sense of community throughout the days… and the evenings, events and parties!

I loved spending time with some special jeweler friends, like Marie Helene Morrow of Reinhold Jewelers. We, happily, met many wonderful people and were thrilled to open accounts with several new stores across the country, like Skibell Fine Jewelry in Dallas and Kathleen Dughi. I’m honored to have received such positive feedback to my designs. My large bracelets were a favorite... with one store placing an order after simply seeing my salesperson wearing one during lunch! 

 

So many people made our experience in Las Vegas special… last—but not least—my husband Fabio, who accompanied me to Sin City for the week. After the long days on the show floor, we enjoyed dinners together, relaxed, and it felt a little like home. Because no matter how much fun Couture may be, there’s no place like home.

G-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s...

Some of our newest  designs. If you'll be at Couture this week, please stop by our booth, DA01, and see them in person!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Last week, someone asked me: what are your favorite things? Sounds like a simple question, but I challenge you to answer it without a great deal of thought. I struggled with the idea a bit… realizing that I—like most people—get so caught up in the day-to-day routine, we don’t stop to think about the special little things in our life that bring us joy, inspire us, and make us who we are.

No matter what your calling, the things you love shape your personality and your work. That is especially true for a jewelry designer. My jewelry embodies my unique vision, personality and passions. These, in turn, connect emotionally with those who wear my designs. After much thought, I came up with a shortlist. These are some of my favorite things… each inspire me as a person and, ultimately, the jewelry I design.

Quiet mornings at sunrise

Quiet and tranquility

As the mother of two small children, me time is at a premium. The morning after the “favorite things” question was posed to me, I sat in my living room in N.Y. at 6 a.m. Everyone else in my home was asleep and, gazing out at the Hudson River and sipping my coffee, I sat immersed in the soft colors of the early morning, the quiet hush of the house, the peace and tranquility of this, my favorite place.

Endless days on the beach

I am, and always have been, drawn to the water. So much so, that I insisted on a New York apartment from which I could see the river! Growing up in Sao Paulo, I had my favorite weekend seaside getaways. When I moved to New York 10 years ago, I quickly found a similar refuge: the beach in Eastport. I escape to our beach house in Eastport as much as possible. In fact, my Oceano Collection was inspired by my time there.

Vibrant colors

Orange, one of my new favorite colors!

I don’t have a favorite color for life. Right now, my favorites are green and orange… which is reflected in my newest collections.  I’ve found myself opting for vibrant hues when I get manicures… and I have my eye on an intense green dress to wear during the Couture show!

New York’s Upper West Side and my neighborhood restaurants

I adore the mix of quiet and vibrant that my neighborhood offers. It blends the quintessential New York vibrancy with the comforting feeling of home. I also love my restaurants. Exploring is fun, but--like my design aesthetic--I tend to find special things and make them my own.

Lightheartedness

Design is all about the little,
sometimes quirky details

A sense of lightness and humor is essential to my life. You’ll find it in a simple quirky element of a serious design (like this ring, right), as well as in my everyday personality. I embrace being irreverent sometimes. My husband and I went on a cruise two years ago, and our luggage was lost en route. We were left to spend our days in baggy, ill-fitting, ugly clothes. My husband was understandably frustrated, and I realized there was only one solution: humor. I decided to wear wild make-up in order to draw everyone’s eye away from my horrible clothes. My husband raised an eyebrow at first, but the lighthearted approach changed the entire situation and we had great fun.

Inspired by Life

As a jewelry designer, I’m frequently asked what inspires me to create a certain piece. Often, there is no simple definitive answer... even to me. My new Knot and Lace collections are perfect examples of that. Both focus heavily on texture and are reminiscent of fabric.  But why did I create these textures and these specific designs?

The technical explanation would be that, since moving to New York, I’ve personally spent more time sitting at the bench, thus more focused on hand-working the metal for this collection than I was in the past. Perhaps given my background in various tactile arts like pottery and ceramics, I naturally started to create sculpture from the gold.

I was drawn to fabric, I believe, because of where I now live: New York City… the fashion capital of the world. While living in Brazil, my jewelry focused almost exclusively on the stunning colors of gemstones. They were my passion and my greatest influence. Now, in New York, I am exposed to such a rich mix of fashion, the fabrics of the beautiful clothes I see on the streets every day are influencing my work.

Because gemstones—like my native Brazil—will forever be a part of my soul, Lace and Knot continue my tradition of celebrating beautiful stones… this time set in sculptural gold designs that represent my new home in New York. Given the juxtaposition, I suppose you might say that Lace and Knot are inspired, simply, by the journey of my life.